Khali defended his title against Batista and Kane.

The Great Khali (center) doing a 'clothesline' to Kane (left) and Batista (right)

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Kane thought he was ready. Batista saw it as his ultimate opportunity. But at the end of Sunday night’s Triple Threat Match at The Great American Bash, it was The Great Khali who stood tallest once more, holding the World Heavyweight Championship high above his 7-foot-3, 420-pound frame.

It was a week of shocking surprises that had built toward literally the largest Triple Threat Match in WWE history, with an injury forcing Edge to surrender his championship, Khali winning it in a SmackDown 20-Man Battle Royal, and a No. 1 Contender’s Match in which the giant saw fit to interfere. As a result, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long declared that both the Big Red Monster and The Animal would face the Indian colossus at the Bash. Kane, who was originally supposed to face Edge for the title, saw a challenge to inflict double the torture, while Batista – who couldn’t vie for the World Heavyweight Title so long as it adorned Edge’s Rated-R waist – viewed it as a new lease on life.

As for The Great Khali…well, Triple Threat rules don’t generally favor the champion, especially since they don’t need to be involved in a pinfall or submission to lose their title; therefore, it seemed that he might not be the heavy favorite our fans initially believed. That belief seemed even more convincing when Batista and Kane worked in unison to slam the giant through the ECW announcers table. But on this night, Khali’s resiliency proved as impressive as his stature and might, as he rallied back into the ring and quickly re-established his dominant presence.

With Khali momentarily out of commission following a Kane chokeslam and Batista spinebuster, The Animal unleashed his full fury, spearing a chair-wielding Big Red Monster before hitting him with a Batista Bomb that made the very ring shake. Our fans thought it was all over but the pinfall, until Khali – still on the outside floor – used his extensive reach to pull Batista out of the ring before the referee could count three. Knocking The Animal senseless by tossing him into the steel ring steps like a dart, the Punjabi Goliath returned to the ring to finish off an already staggering Kane.

It would be impossible for our fans to tell you when they last saw the Big Red Machine looking like a helpless child in an opponent’s hands, but that was exactly the case at this moment. Khali’s two-handed chokeslam flattened Kane down on the canvas, making the ring official’s three-count all but a moot point.

Leaving his fallen foes and the carnage behind, the colossal champion then returned to the locker room, standing taller than ever in victory. His translator, Ranjin Singh, rejoiced beside him as he told WWE.com, “The Great Khali beat Batista and Kane, the top two men on SmackDown. How many World Champions do you see doing that?”

Admitting that we don’t see it that often – actually, “never” could have applied in this case – WWE.com asked Khali’s translator what was next for the World Heavyweight Champion. “There’s nothing left for The Great Khali to prove,” he answered, “so I think we’re going to throw ourselves a huge celebration. This is The Great American Bash, so we’re going to have a party, but we’re going to add our flavor to it. We’re going to throw in some Indian spices and masalas, and we’re going to have our own bash, Punjabi style. If you don’t know what that is, look it up and you can read about it. Maybe we should rename it “The Great Khali Bash,” because that’s exactly what The Great Khali did tonight – he bashed Batista and Kane.”